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October 16, 2010

I was out in the garage last week, rewiring a toaster, when Maria shouted out that there was a phone call for me. I shook the solder and bread crumbs from my mitts, opened the squeaky screen door and entered the kitchen.

Maria said: "It's Barbara. She's very upset."

Barbara was my second wife. We enjoyed a heated May-September fling in the 70's and, while the divorce was ugly and mean-spirited, we had maintained a cordial level of communication over the decades.

I picked up the phone. Barbara had been reading the blog and was offended by the escalating use of "posterior humor" introduced by Sig94's writings. I calmed her by explaining the erratic behavior caused by the presence of a bronze plate in Siggie's head.

That seemed to calm her, but there was no tempering her views on the upcoming election. She insisted that I immediately tell every one of this blog's readers that if the Democrat Party were to escape with even one congressional seat, she will personally "hunt down every American voter and plant my size 7's squarely up their poop chutes". She was unable to recognize the irony in her declaration.

I planned to post her statement on Monday. Alas, life has a way of disrupting one's plans. I've just learned that Barbara Billingsley has shaken off that mortal coil. Cancer did its ugly work. I can't now fulfill her request, but I can ask each and every one of you to remember her on November 2nd.

This weekend on D.C.'s Pre-Election Celebration Music Festival we take a look at the Doobie Brothers -- a great American band indeed. Like most great bands, they survived changes in personnel (namely changing lead singers from Tom Johnson to Michael McDonald due to Johnston's health issues), and they also adapted their style to survive and thrive through the better part of four decades.

Yes, they did apparently inhale, at least in the their younger years (hence the name). But forgive them, please. Unlike some former presidents, they did admit it and also atoned for their missteps with their distinctively smooth blend of guitars and harmony. It puts a spring in my step every time I hear these guys.

Their most recent album -- released this year -- contains a re-release of the single "Nobody," which was actually the group's first single. Check it out. They can still play and sing, especially for a bunch of geezers:

Due to Tom Johnston's health problems, the band made a huge shift in style and sound in the late 70's and 80's with the move to the incomparable Michael McDonald on keyboards and lead vocals.

October 15, 2010

The public prosecution department on Friday afternoon stated that Geert Wilders is not guilty of discriminating against Muslims. Earlier on Friday it announced he should also be found not guilty of inciting hatred.

Prosecutors Birgit van Roessel and Paul Velleman reached their conclusions after a careful reading of interviews with and articles by the anti-Islam politician and a viewing of his anti-Koran film Fitna.

They said comments about banning the Koran can be discriminatory, but because Wilders wants to pursue a ban on democratic lines, there is no question of incitement to discrimination ‘as laid down in law’.

On the comparison of the Koran with Mein Kampf, the prosecutors said the comparison was ‘crude but that did not make it punishable’.

Dealing earlier on Friday with incitement to hatred, Van Roessel and Velleman said some comments could incite hatred against Muslims if taken out of context, but if the complete text is considered, it can be seen that Wilders is against the growing influence of Islam and not against Muslims per sé.

On Tuesday, the prosecutors said the MP should not be found guilty of group insult.

The public prosecution department was forced to take the case by the high court after anti-racism campaigners protested at its refusal to prosecute Wilders.

Good news, not just for what was once the Dutch Republic, but for liberty everywhere.

I've spent some time of late looking around the blogosphere ... here and elsewhere. And I note that folks on our side are pretty stirred up.

I am one of those folks. I understand. We've seen an unprecedented assault on our liberties, government and political system as a whole these past two years.

So, what to do?

Rather than getting mad, folks, I would encourage us to get even.

What would Reagan do? I think he would smile, look 'em in the eye, and say something witty/truthful/profound in that distinctive raspy voice, "Well ...

And he would remind us that we are on the right side, and we will win this battle of ideas ... because what we believe in is tried and true.

Think back to what Pres. Reagan went through. He was an old, out-of-touch, racist, homophobic, fill-in-the-leftist insult-blank doofus. And that was just was the Rockefeller Republicans said about him.

He was even shot once, I do seem to recall. Before the operation, he joked with doctors that he "hoped they were Republicans."

There will time for investigations, recriminations, and such regarding how Obama and Co. have gone about their business ... like when we get at least one chamber of Congress in Republican control.

But let us remember that Pres. Obama won the election, along with his Demo cohorts in Congress. The reason there are so many of them to deal with -- and the path they have pursued the past couple of years has been so destructive -- is that American voters thought it better for a variety of reasons to let Obama and the Demos triumph. Well, now we know what a boneheaded idea that was. Well, some of us knew then, but hey ...

The bottom line is ... they won, fair and square. Now, it's our turn. And we will.

So, loosen up. Lighten up. Enjoy this wave. It's a big'un. No need to fret over the Demos, threaten them (even though I know folks are joking), talk of their premature demise, etc. I do understand the frustration, but ask yourself: Would Ronald Reagan reduce himself to hair-pulling with Nancy Pelosi?

I recall the 1992 convention (one of his last appearances on a grand stage) and Pres. Reagan was dealing with the newest scourge on the American political scene -- Bill Clinton. While many (myself included) were fretting that the country could elect such a chap with such a character, there was Pres. Reagan joking about how William Jefferson Clinton was no Thomas Jefferson. "I knew Jefferson ... " the president said.

October 14, 2010

Mrs. Obama is an attorney; at one time she was licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois.

Premise #2

Over the past ten years or so, Mrs. Obama has helped her husband run in several elections; these campaigns took place in Illinois as well as other states.

Premise #3

Given the preceeding premises, Mrs. Obama must be familar with Illinois campaign regulations.

Premise #4

It is against Illinois law, as well as being illegal in most of the 57 States, to campaign in a polling place.

If these Premises are true, then why did I read the following headline on Drudge?

First lady Michelle Obama appears to have violated Illinois law -- when she engaged in political discussion at a polling place!

The drama began after Mrs. Obama stopped off at the Martin Luther King Center on the south side of Chicago to cast an early vote.

After finishing at the machine, Obama went back to the desk and handed in her voting key.

She let voters including electrician Dennis Campbell, 56, take some photos.

"She was telling me how important it was to vote to keep her husband's agenda going," Campbell said.

According to a pool reporter from the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES at the scene, the conversation took place INSIDE the voting center, not far from the booths.

Illinois state law -- Sec. 17-29 (a) -- states: "No judge of election, pollwatcher, or other person shall, at any primary or election, do any electioneering or soliciting of votes or engage in any political discussion within any polling place [or] within 100 feet of any polling place."

In roughneck, downstate NY parlance, it takes someone with a huge case of the ass to possess the first three premises and still manage to squat on the 4th. We are utterly abashed, appalled, flabbergasted.

This is ass that sweeps out the cash register aisle at Super Wal-Mart on Black Friday. This is ass around which other asses orbit. This is ass that defies the laws of physics. This is a Singularity of Ass.

Mrs. Obama, you have managed to burrow underneath even our incredibly low expectations.

Some of the things V.P. Joe Biden says are simply so outrageous, when given his reputation for idiocy, I have to go to the source to make sure people are not making happy-times with the facts. It's incredible (like America's Funniest Home Videos), but this stuff really does keep happening and it usually checks out. The guy is a workhorse.

So, this week I heard ... and verified .... that Biden said the following:

"Democrats aren’t running on the administration’s accomplishments like health-care and financial-regulatory overhaul and the stimulus because 'it’s just too hard to explain,' Biden said."

In thinking through Biden's foibles, it comes to my attention that a lot of his misstatements, i.e., he can't even spell "jobs", you Demos are the dullest audience I have ever spoken to, etc., are really Freudian, or "Bidien," slips ... that is, they are really what he believes. It's simply that his small brain is unable to constrain his healthy vocal chords from singing about it.

So, yes, Joe, we understand that you are unable to explain your accomplishments. It would require more than the world's supply of polish for that turd.

Barack Obama is being politically crushed in a vise. From above, by elite opinion about his competence. From below, by mass anger and anxiety over unemployment. And it is too late for him to do anything about this predicament until after November's elections.

With the exception of core Obama Administration loyalists, most politically engaged elites have reached the same conclusions: the White House is in over its head, isolated, insular, arrogant and clueless about how to get along with or persuade members of Congress, the media, the business community or working-class voters. This view is held by Fox News pundits, executives and anchors at the major old-media outlets, reporters who cover the White House, Democratic and Republican congressional leaders and governors, many Democratic business people and lawyers who raised big money for Obama in 2008, and even some members of the Administration just beyond the inner circle.

October 13, 2010

It really is beginning to be a pastime, a hobby - documenting the omens and portents of impeding celebrity meltdown as the elections draw nigh. It's better than reading goat entrails (Nickie always wants certain parts); these pampered, privileged patricians and practitioners of the performing arts are going right out of their high society minds.

Actor John Cusack went on a caustic Twitter rampage Sunday evening, attacking former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Fox News.

“I AM FOR A SATANIC DEATH CULT CENTER AT FOX NEWS HQ AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICES OF DICK ARMEY AND NEWT GINGRICH-and all the GOP WELFARE FREAKS,” Cusack tweeted.

And not just any death center will do for Mr. Cusack. A Satanic Death Cult Center is what's needed. I know Halloween is just around the corner but really ... does he mean something like a storefront/walk-in or a street kiosk?

Last night's loss to the Texas Rangers left Joe Maddown longing for the simpler years of patriotism and fun ... before every one expected the Rays to win ... back when his hair was shorter and brown. His eyes, well, they were always bad. But you can't have everything when you have life by the tail.

This ad is being run by the Demo (who is trailing) the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in W.V.:

This is in a state where the seat held by Robert Byrd was thought to be safely in Democrat hands. The candidate (Joe Manchin) is the popular governor of W.V.; it seems, however, that the good folks of West Virginny don't take too kindly to Obama's policies.

Dude says he will repeal the "bad parts" of Obamacare. Question for Manchin: Which parts are good?

Huge Demo losses are on the way, and that bodes well for the country. Better still is that conservatives are winning the battle of ideas. From sea to shining sea, it's politically unsafe to say anything positive about the Obama agenda.

You be the judge. What the N.Y. Republican gubernatorial candidate actually said, as opposed to what the media says was on a sheet of paper that he might have maybe wanted to say ... Are you kidding me? Well, what Paladino actually said was 1) He is opposed to gay marriage; and 2) he thinks it's a bad idea to take your kids to gay pride parades. Sounds pretty reasonable to me.

Here's exactly what he said:

“I unequivocally support all gay rights, all gay rights except the right to be married. I’m a Catholic and I believe in Catholic values.” Wow, burn him at the stake.

And this this one re: taking kids to a gay pride parade, like the proud Demo Cuomo was boasting of doing:

“Have you ever been to one? The men wear little Speedos and they grind on each other. Would you take your children there? I don’t think so.” Sounds like how many folks would describe such a spectacle, only Paladino described some of the behavior that might, just might (even in NYC) be inappropriate for children.

When Matt Lauer of the Today Show pressed him, Paladino asked him, "Would you take your child to a gay pride parade?" It was classic. Lauer hemmed and hawed and said, well, probably yes. Score one for Paladino.

I realize that the money issues in this election cycle are, well, money issues. Arguably, Paladino is a bit a a brash talker (read: New Yorker) who has gotten off-message. I understand the point.

But people in N.Y. and elsewhere are pissed. And it's more than just money.

That is, in addition to being broke, our culture is rotting. And a lot of people in New York, and the rest of the country, of course, agree with Paladino. The media squirms and kicks and screams because they are afraid that even in deep-blue NY that their views -- rather than Paladino's -- will be shown to be out of the mainstream.

All the world's a stage,And all the men and women merely players;They have their exits and their entrances,And one man in his time plays many parts,His acts being seven ages.

Waiting until after the November elections are through, the world's most famous player, President Barack Hussein Obama, will take the might and prestige of the United States of America onto the international stage where our vision, our leadership and our prowess can be displayed. Time to send in the clowns.

Where the HELL is Joe Biden when you need him? There's books and butts aflyin' everywhere around the President and Biden is nowhere to be found.

A book, "International Politics for Idiots," is thrown at President Obama at a Philadelphia rally over the weekend. You will notice it as it goes sailing by the back of his head. Biden needs to be here to fulfill his obligations as Vice Target.

And in Germantown, PA, Mr. Juan Rodriquez displayed the newest fashion trend that will be available to all Americans if the Democratics are not thrown out of office. Again, where is Biden when someone shows the nation where hair plugs come from?

Forty three years ago this week, Ernesto “Che” Guevara got a major dose of his own medicine. Without trial he was declared a murderer, stood against a wall and shot. Historically speaking, justice has rarely been better served. If the saying “What goes around comes around” ever fit, it’s here.

“When you saw the beaming look on Che’s face as the victims were tied to the stake and blasted apart by the firing squad,” said a former Cuban political prisoner Roberto Martin-Perez, to your humble servant here, “you saw there was something seriously, seriously wrong with Che Guevara.” As commander of the La Cabana execution yard, Che often shattered the skull of the condemned man (or boy) by firing the coup de grace himself. When other duties tore him away from his beloved execution yard, he consoled himself by viewing the slaughter. Che’s second-story office in Havana’s La Cabana prison had a section of wall torn out so he could watch his darling firing-squads at work.

Even as a youth, Ernesto Guevara’s writings revealed a serious mental illness. “My nostrils dilate while savoring the acrid odor of gunpowder and blood. Crazy with fury I will stain my rifle red while slaughtering any vencido that falls in my hands!” This passage is from Ernesto Guevara’s famous Motorcycle Diaries, though Robert Redford somehow overlooked it while directing his heart-warming movie.

Good evening, Goomba Nation. I regret that I but few posts to give for my country. Time is limited, unlike the obligations of real life.

However, as we approach this historic election wherein we prepare to party like it's 1894, I will endeavor to check in daily with at least some pith or mirth ... or both ... to do my little part in move this big ol' wave.

And, of course, we'll continue right up to Halloween weekend with DC's Music Festival ...

After the election, I plan to go on a wild, celebratory drunken binge, so all bets are off. Just kidding, of course. But Rhod and Amy have invited me to his CT chalet for the "World Championships of Hot Tub Chicken Fighting." I do plan to partake, even though Rhod has promised to pair me with "some big ol' New England gal." And I hereby pledge to refrain from underwater hijinx unless and until the chicken feels more like a turkey.

Hey, are you wondering what type of October Surprise that Obama and the Socialistas might be cooking up? Well, you can cross a post-season first pitch off your list ...

Is it just me, or is there any one out there who is just pissed to see such a pansy in the WH ... a guy who looks like he didn't touch a baseball in his lifetime until he walked out on that field? Burns me up.

I don't want him defiling any American baseball fields.

However, I am thinking that every first "pitch" that the O throws is worth about 10 seats. So, I might reconsider for the cause.

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